William L. Ralph
Senior Advisor
R. K. Johns & Associates

Bill Ralph is an experienced economist who has researched and published global trade forecasts and analyses of container transportation for domestic and international ports, carriers and government agencies.  He joined R.K. Johns  & Associates in 2003 after a 15-year career with the Journal of Commerce and its sister company PIERS (Port Import Export Reporting Service).  Bill rose through the ranks at the JoC/PIERS under the ownership of the Economist magazine to become President and Publisher of the company.

            At R. K. Johns & Associates, Bill and his colleagues provide commercially focused consulting with an entrepreneurial outlook to all segments of the transportation and logistics industries.  Ken Johns, the former President of Sea-Land Service, established the firm in 1987.

            Prior to the JOC/PIERS, Bill spent ten years in the maritime industry as an Economist for the U.S. Panama Canal Commission and for Chase Econometrics (a division of the Chase Manhattan Bank), and as Manager of Business Planning for Sea-Land Corporation.  Mr. Ralph holds a BA in Economics from the University of Delaware and an MA in Economics from the University of Rhode Island. 

            Bill serves on numerous community boards and industry advisory panels, including The City University of New York, Baruch College Weissman Center for International Business and as Trustee for Holiday Express a volunteer nonprofit organization delivering music, toys, clothing, food and fun to the needy in the tri-state area.